Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen last night made a token effort to trade up in the first round of the NHL draft, but it was fruitless. He also explored trading down, but, ultimately, he did not feel compelled to do so. He was content the way things broke.

“Everybody’s always happy after they make their first-round picks,” Kekalainen said. “Time will tell.”

The atmosphere at the Prudential Center was up-tempo. In a departure from recent drafts, all seven rounds were compressed into one sitting. High-profile veterans were being baited for trades by teams looking to fit themselves under the salary-cap ceiling. Rumors of draft-floor deals were flitting hither and yon.

Kekalainen had just two minutes to talk before the second round got under way. His pulse was level. His pulse is always level.

“We got three guys who were in our top 20,” he said, “so we feel pretty good.”

Wonderful, but what about Bob?

“I’m very optimistic,” he said.

Did his pulse jump there? He was almost grinning.

Good news, Jackets fans. As our Aaron Portzline reported in the hours leading up to the draft, the Jackets made unexpected headway in negotiations with Sergei Bobrovsky’s agent, Paul Theofanous. Just when it seemed like it was about to get ugly, the two sides closed a significant (salary) gap Saturday night and yesterday morning.

Last night, word was that an agreement in principle had been reached. So, barring a radical and unforeseen twist in this story, Bob is coming back.

The oil spill that used to be the Blue Jackets franchise continues apace in clean-up mode.

Bob is back.

This draft was a ballyhooed affair not only because of all the trade speculation. The 2013 class of prospects has been touted to be as strong — or even stronger — than the loaded class of 2003. That was the year Nikolay Zherdev was selected ahead of Ryan Suter, Dustin Brown, Brent Seabrook, Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards and Shea Weber, just to name a few.

It is a volatile enterprise, projecting 18-year-olds. Given the picks the Blue Jackets were holding yesterday, and Kekalainen’s reputation for identifying talent, there is a reasonable chance they might have a stud or two. Maybe they even have another Cam Atkinson or Matt Calvert, late-round picks that ultimately bloomed more vibrantly than expected.

Those of an optimistic bent might say that, at the very least, the Jackets have padded their depth chart for the foreseeable future. Those of a pessimistic bent might worry that the Jackets bollixed most every pick, like in the old days when Doug MacLean was swaggering to the podium. Either way, it was a good day.

Bob is back.

The Jackets were skittish about laying out elite-goaltender cash for a guy who had an excellent rookie season, a poor sophomore season and mind-blowing two months in a lockout-shortened year three. The Bobrovsky camp was asking for the kind of third-contract money that is afforded established stars with a longer record of success.

It was a difficult negotiation. There were no real comparable NHL contracts. The KHL was beckoning, reportedly with an offer worth $10 million annually. St. Petersburg SKA could have jumped in today. NHL teams could have jumped in with offer sheets on Friday. The situation could have spun out of control in Columbus, but it did not.

Bob is back, and whether Alexander Wennberg scores 500 career goals or five, it was a good day for Columbus. Bobrovsky has two years to prove he is worth an even heftier deal, and he is motivated. The Blue Jackets have reclaimed their Vezina winner.

They once looked to the draft to restore hope that was lost. Yesterday, their task was to maintain momentum, and they gained any number of revolutions.

Cannon Fodder Podcast

Cannon Fodder is the podcast from The Dispatch sports team covering the Blue Jackets. Tune in for lively discussions about the ta and the rest of the NHL. Subscribe to the show through its RSS feed or iTunes.

Commentary from the Dispatch

Columnist Michael Arace shares his thoughts on the Blue Jackets and the NHL.